The Last Runaway – Tracy Chevalier

As the two Bright sisters head off to America in 1850 it is Grace who does so in expectation of an exciting future, while for Honor it is more to do with leaving the past behind.  Grace is betrothed to a man already settled in Ohio whereas Honor’s engagement back in Bridport has just been broken off.

They are Quakers, and after an arduous Atlantic crossing they head overland through Pennsylvania to the recently established township of Faithwell where many of their faith have put down roots.  En route Honor encounters two people who do not share her faith but are destined to play a significant part in her future – larger than life milliner Belle Mills and arrogant but handsome Mr Donovan.

In Faithwell there is little enough to do but make quilts, something Honor is very adept at, but that changes when circumstances pitch Honor up at the Haymaker dairy farm, which transpires to be on the route of the fabled ‘underground railroad’.  The railroad isn’t real but a network of anti-slavery activists and sympathisers that provide safe houses and work to assist runaway slaves escape north to freedom.

In the community there are helpers (like Belle), hunters (like Donovan), and those in between who sympathise with the runners but who are fearful of the consequences of getting involved.  Honor must make her choices.

Told from Honor’s viewpoint, supplemented by first person letters home, there are well penned descriptions of Honor’s new world – the landscapes, the changing seasons, and the new society she finds herself in.  Even the quilts are different here.

Slaves pass through, some safely, some not; but it is not so much about them as about how Honor wrestles with conflicting loyalties (family, faith, law, friendship, humanity and her own feelings as a woman).  It is also quite a lot about quilts, which may or may not be a metaphor that passed this reviewer by.

As befits a tale of Quaker folk it is a gentle read (the sex and violence are quickly and efficiently dealt with) but be prepared for lots of thee’s and thou’s in the dialogue that while adding verisimilitude to the text eventually grate on the modern eye.

The Burgess Boys – Elizabeth Strout

The Burgess boys – Jim and younger brother Bob - left their home town of Shirley Falls in Maine for New York years ago.  Jim has made it big as a celebrated defence lawyer, married well and with the children now off to college life is fine in their swanky brownstone apartment.  Less so for Bob; confidence dented by a childhood tragedy he’s divorced, living in what his brother terms ‘a student dorm’ but making a decent living reviewing legal appeal cases.

Left back in Shirley Falls is their sister, Bob’s twin, Susan.  She phones with the news that her son Zach, withdrawn since his father left home, has committed a misdemeanour with religious overtones and political implications in the town struggling to come to terms with an influx of Somali refugees.

The Burgess boys are mobilised and while Jim uses his contacts to get Zach a top lawyer Bob heads home to provide emotional support.

The case drags on and even Jim has to slum it for a few days back in Maine; and as the siblings get back together old tensions and recriminations surface.  By the end lives - Jim’s, Bob’s, Susan’s, even Zach’s – have changed.

Strout’s portrayal of family relations is very good, capturing the mix of irritation, loyalty, resentment, love and envy with subtle but effective writing.  The pulse doesn’t race but the heart goes out to characters all too human, and by the finish there is deep concern that each will be left with their lives set on a favourable course.